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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. plane — a tool
  3. land — to come down
  4. clip — for paper
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. land — a country
  7. firm — steady
  8. land — ground
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — a break
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. clip — to cut
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. firm — decided
  18. rest — what's left
  19. firm — a company
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rest — what's left
  22. season — in sport
  23. kid — to tease
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com